Some things I learned

So, my time as an assistant librarian is over. I wonder whether I’ll ever be one again in another place and time. At the moment I’m not sure that I want to stay working in libraries for ever, but I’m not sure what it is that I really want to do. I’m hoping this time where I should have more mental space will help me to work that out. We shall see. Anyway, I thought now might be a good time to reflect  and make a list of some of the things I learned during my time as an assistant librarian, so here we are (the list is not exhaustive and is in no particular order):

Among other things I learned…

1. I’m not good at managing people
2. I really don’t like confrontation (actually, I knew this before)
3. How to use the Aleph library management system (circulation module)
4. Getting involved in office politics is to be avoided if at all possible
5. How to successfully pass the CILIP Chartership
6. Friendly and supportive colleagues are worth their weight in gold
7. It is very important to feel valued
8. On a related note, line managers need to say thank you more often
9. It is extremely difficult to do a job if you don’t believe in what you’re doing
10. Rotas are much more difficult than you might expect
11. In fact, rotas are Very Bad Things
12. Unhelpful line managers cause untold damage
13. As does poor communication
14. I’m not good at training people
15. I am good at being too sympathetic to people who have library fines
16. I quite like doing presentations, even if I’m not very good at them
17. A lot about Excel
18. A lot about Word
19. A lot about Outlook
20. A bit about computers in general
21. Sometimes putting things at the bottom of your in-tray really does make them go away
22. But sometimes it doesn’t
23. Not as much as I should have done about the Dewey Decimal System
24. To count a lot of money
25. To be responsible
26. I’m more subject to my emotions that I thought I was
27. To rely on God to get me through the day
28. The self-returns machine needs to be carefully nurtured otherwise it gets upset
29. To [try to] behave like an adult
30. Diaries are very useful
31. Outlook reminders are even more so because you don’t have to remember to look at them
32. The people who can most afford to pay their fines are often the people who most vigorously dispute them
33. It is impossible to keep everyone happy
34. Being the filling in a sandwich is not very nice
35. It’s always good to have an emergency supply of chocolate

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